My first impressions of the World/Inferno Friendship Society
Feb 06 '01
The Bottom Line World/Inferno Friendship Society is an odd and quirky band the likes of which I have never heard before. Very interesting, check them out.
Warning: This review is rather uninformed, as it is based on nothing but my memory, which may or may not be faulty, of one show. I’ve never heard this band’s album; due to lack of finances I couldn’t buy it at said show, so I don’t know what that’s like. So if you know this band and you notice that I’ve made some glaring error in my writing about them, please let me know so I can fix it. Anyway, as best as I can, allow me to present to you the World/Inferno Friendship Society.
I had never heard of this band before, and was only fortunate enough to stumble upon them because they happened to be the opening act for Flogging Molly, the Blue Meanies, and the X-Impossibles in Atlanta Saturday night. Honestly, to begin with, I didn’t give a rat’s hind end about the W/IFS, despite the comment I had heard on the way into the club that this band likes to play with fire. I just wanted them to hurry up, play, and get off the stage so I could see the Blue Meanies.
Until, that is, they stepped onto the stage. Then I had a remarkable change of heart.
W/IFS consists of (if I remember correctly) four men and three women, drums, bass, guitar, two saxes, and one of those weird drum sets that you stand at that just has a couple of flattish drums and cymbals. (I’m sure there must be a name for that, but I don’t know what it is.) Now that I think about it, there may have been another guy and some type of keyboard, but I’m not sure.
The women (on bass, one of the saxes, and those weird drums) looked a sort of Addams-family formal. The guitar player wore a wife-beater and had about a million tiny dark blue braids sticking out of his head in all directions. The whole band stood silent, solemn, poised, perfectly placed.
The lead singer stepped forward to the edge of the stage. Clad in a gray suit and tie, with his hair parted on the side and gelled, he looked like an old-fashioned Georgia Baptist revival preacher (except, that is, for the silvery face makeup and the red contacts). The image was furthered by his rich, resounding voice as he leaned over the crowd and yelled at everyone in an enthusiastic singsong, waggin’ his preachin’ finger. He ended his little spiel by proclaiming with a flourish, “And now may I present to you…THE WORLD/INFERNO FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY!”
That done, he did some kind of strange trick that involved a ball of fire shooting upward and igniting something above his head. (I’m sure such fire antics are no mystery to most people, but they are to me because if I tried anything like that I just know I’d burn off all my hair.)
And then the music started. I don’t know how well I can describe this, because much of it has become foggy to me (blasted bad-memory genes, I get those from my dad), but I’ll do my best.
Although the music does comprise a horn section and the occasional upstroke guitar, it’s not really ska. And while I suppose it’s probably considered punk, it doesn’t have that fast, violent, driving sound that one often associates with the “typical punk band.” Rather than occurring in quick, upbeat bursts throughout the songs, as would be the case with ska, the saxes sounded almost morbid. The use of two drum sets gave the band a fuller, echoing sort of quality. The bass and guitar work was skillful and impressive, and the vocals were downright disquieting. (A good kind of disquieting.) The bassist and the weird-drum-set girl (I’ve really got to find out what that thing is called!) added background vocals, mostly creepy “aaaaahhh-aaaaaaahhhhh” type stuff but also with the occasional solo.
I’ve been describing the band as creepy and morbid, but don’t start thinking “goth” just yet—nay, far from it. The music is often fast and infectious; it’s just not ska-infectious. It’s more…I don’t know…Rocky Horror-infectious. It’s just very odd.
The onstage goings-on are also most interesting to watch. During the parts in which she isn’t playing, the girl roams in front of her drum set, jumping up and down, dancing, and making very animated facial expressions. She swings her hips and tosses her hair around and acts generally very energetic in a manner I imagine the guys probably find quite sexy. She and the lead singer sort of circle each other, sometimes getting right into each other’s faces and singing together, looking very choreographed. Think punk-meets-Rocky-Horror-meets-Cabaret. Meanwhile the sax girl is still looking very solemn, lolling her head from side to side every once in a while to the beat of the music when she’s not occupied with her instrument.
I remember very little about specific songs, except for a couple that the lead singer introduced in interesting ways. One of them, he said, was “very succinct, and to the point, because that’s what succinct means. It’s called ‘F*ck the PO-lice’!” (First syllable emphasized, endearingly southern; I think I recall his mentioning that he’s not a Georgia native, but if he’s not, he ought to be.) I only assume the following performance was a cover of the NWA song, but I don’t know because I’ve never heard that song. (I’m not punk.)
The other introduction that struck me as memorable was as follows: “I bet a lot of you have been arrested before. Maybe some of you are even on parole right now. But I bet no one here has ever been taken in by the federal government for saying these simple words: I shot President Reagan, and I’ll do it [here the rest of the band yelled along with the singer] AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN!” When I was telling PezKing about the show the next day, he was quick to inform me that that was a Suicidal Tendencies ripoff, but I in my ignorance just thought it was cool. (Told you I wasn’t punk.)
I’m keeping my eyes peeled for W/IFS’s CD. I can’t find it anywhere. Not in used bookstores, not online, nowhere.
Anyway, whether they be accurate or inaccurate, those are my recollections of a truly strange band. My descriptions fall sadly short of doing them any measure of justice, so please check them out if they play your area.
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Epinions.com ID:
rhupea
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Member: Lesley
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 12 members
About Me:
I'm outta here. It's been fun.
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